More than 100 submissions on the Southern District Health Board's sector-wide mental-health and addiction plan are being considered, finance and funding general manager Robert Mackway-Jones says.
Response was "pretty good", with about 110 submissions received, Mr Mackway-Jones said.
An extra meeting of the disability support and public health advisory committee would be convened next month to consider it, in order to get the plan before the full board.
He said most submitters supported the plan, which advocates providing fewer inpatient beds, and more care in the community.
One submitter, Kerry Hand, manager of Dunedin needs assessment service Miramare, who provided his submission to the Otago Daily Times, said the plan lacked local context and could have been developed for the "national scene".
It appeared to be little change from the "aimless" and "ad hoc" delivery of mental-health services in the South since about the year 2000.
It lacked details of what was already provided, of what was needed, and how mental-health services fitted with other DHB services, he said.
"I have no query with the things [the plan] identifies which are all desirable. But it must be said the document gives no guidance as to what is most important, nor establishes what the balance between competing demands is."
